OPEN ★ ARRIVAL LOG

[futurologists]

ARRIVALS ( OCT 2 ) The dragons are taken from you, sent off to a safe haven. You're back in Oska for less than a day when you hear the announcement and head to the rendezvous point. You blink, step through the portal, there's a loud crack, and... You're thrown into darkness. You taste copper and, for a moment, your ears won't stop ringing. All common side-effects of portal travel. The entire crew arrives just beyond the city gates, so you might also be feeling a little bit claustrophobic. It takes a second for the eyes to adjust, but one can make out buildings and the cobblestone beneath their feet. To the right is the Trade District, where all the vendors are gathered to sell their wares. Up ahead is the City Square, where the rest of the citizens out and about seem to be gathered. To the left of the square is the Commoners' District, and to the right of it is the Nobles' District, the two main residential areas. Further travel west will come to the outskirts, a makeshift residential area, this one densely populated with goblins. Many of the people are holding candles or lanterns. You might want to try getting your hands on one of those. If you have not already done so, your enchanted jewelry will manifest words in front of your very eyes — or sounds in your ear, if you're illiterate — asking you to identify yourself. A quick look around shows that you seem to be the only one able to see it. All you have to do is think or say how you wish to be identified. After that, you're immediately given a message. Those who participated in the dragon mission at Anwick will first receive this: We appreciate your help at Anwick. The wyrmlings will live to grow up and bring about the world's natural end. Thank you. -- ALASTAIR Afterwards, the crew will be given an abridged version of this, then told to familiarize themselves with the city and natives, report all information gathered back to ALASTAIR, and wait for further instruction. At the end of the night, wherever they may be, everyone will receive a letter with the royal seal thanking them for their efforts to end the goblins' defiance and inviting them to the Festival of Illumination on the 4th. FESTIVAL OF ILLUMINATION ( OCT 4 ) Candles are sitting on windowsills throughout the entire city, but the main event is in the city square. In the fountain float lit lotuses, and people all around are holding lanterns, waiting to light them. There's a minstrel playing songs, and several of the vendors have pulled their carts up to the square in the hopes of making a sale. Many sweets are for sale, including baked apples, gingerbread, cherry tarts, pudding, and more. There's also some drinks for sale. Some children are playing games in the corner, and others are dancing to the music or writing wishes on slips of paper to be sent into the sky with their lanterns. Everyone seems merry for once, but you'd better be careful. This is an ideal place for a pickpocket. About an hour and a half into the festival, the lanterns are sent into the sky. They're sent flying, the sky becoming filled with bright lights, until... A strong gust of wind sends all the lights out. At least, you think it was a gust of wind. What else could have done that? On closer inspection, however, you'll see that even the candles sitting on windowsills inside have gone out. For a minute or so, there's only darkness and chaos. Suddenly, the flames begin to burn again, revealing a message in the cobblestone in the center of the square. It almost looks as if it's been burned into the ground: IT IS COMING, followed by a symbol of a creature with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail. [MOD NOTE: This is a catch-all log for the first few days. For the sake of organization, all arrival threads should be posted under the subheader ARRIVALS and all festival threads should be posted under FESTIVAL. Threads that don't fall under either of those categories can be top-levels. Also, please remember to add your character's tag to the post! Thank you, and have fun!]

Comments

[griped]

[ Before he manages an answer, Fai graciously does it for him. Kurogane's expression sours for a moment, remembering a certain Valentine's Day... but whatever. It's not like he wouldn't at least try it if Sakura made them. As his tastes are judged for no good reason, he puffs out a sigh. ]

Just make whatever you think is good.

[ He says because he's clearly too cool to care (—except really he's fine trusting her tastes on the matter). They'll make do with whatever they manage to find around here. ]

[keystaff]

Oh. Okay then! I'll see what I can do with what foods they have here. That way I could at least help somehow. And...it's okay if Kurogane-san doesn't want desert.

[Everyone has different tastes, after all. Just means more for Sakura and Fai, clearly. But then she pauses, considering for a moment. Not yet having been exploring too long to figure how much or exactly where the places they might stay could roughly be located.]

But um, where did you have in mind? I have some money, but I'm not sure how much hotels or something might cost, or how long we might be here....

[evasively]

[ It's true, they would have to find some accommodation eventually. That was on Fai's list of priorities, but it wasn't exactly a very urgent matter at the moment. Fai and Kurogane often went with whatever accommodation they happened to stumble upon when they traveled from world to world.

With Sakura such a young child, though, a safe place would be much more preferable. It at least had to be safe enough to walk about in. ] How about we head over to the Nobles' District? With our money pooled together, I believe we should be able to afford a room.

[ It's probably much safer there than it would be in, say, the outskirts of the town. ] We could also get a change of clothing along the way. [ TO blend in, of course. They were already getting a few stares as they wandered about in their foreign-looking wares. There's a glance taken at the outfit that Sakura has on, and Fai lets out an amused chuckle. ]

-- Not that I don't think that's a cute outfit! [ It is cute weh ]

[griped]

[ Back in their travels, the four of them had dealt with whatever rooms they could find, flimsy or closet-like that may've been. For Fai to suggest something a little nicer is probably for Sakura's sake; it's not unlike the sight they'd stumbled upon just before Kurogane remembers being brought here. Acid rain. A pile of crushed and punctured bodies. The sentiment that it's better that Sakura sleeps through it instead of getting exposed to too much.

Something to bring up later.

('our' money though, like he has any.....) ]

I'll look for a cheaper inn. But let's go with that for now.

[ Every marriage has a more fiscally restrained partner. Anyway, in an obvious ploy to go get cute medieval costumes that's actually endorsed by canon, he agrees. ] It'll be easier to blend in if we've got new clothes when we get there.

[ Which would be great, because everyone, human and goblin alike, seems keen on giving them the evil eye right now. ]

[keystaff]

All right. I don't mind something cheaper, it would mean we have more money for food and things while we figure this out. But clothes are important too! N-not that I don't appreciate Tomoyo-chan making me these but....

[They do rather stand out. Even the more subtle ones. So Sakura agrees, giving a nod, even in her sheepishness when Fai comments on her outfit. She's always been a little embarrassed at the attention they get her, even if it is usually just her, Tomoyo, Kero and Syaoran that see them. Given her best friend likes to record her in them to preserve the moments. But they aren't wrong, and she doesn't want to put them out too much until they figure out their situation on housing, on jobs and all that.]